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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

This is my Grandma Mary Jirak Hartmann, I never meet her but I have a letter from a great uncle that said she was a lot of fun and jovial. Here house was the favorite with all the nieces and nephews. I look at the two pictures of her and I see a family resemblance. She also reminds me of my Aunt Em. You can read more about her at the link.

These are pictures of me in 1949 so I was 1 and a 1/2 years old. Notice what my Dad said about me. Miniature Grandma Hartmann in all these poses - September I am very curious of what he was thinking. Is it because I was so jovial in these pictures? Is it because I look like her? Is it the hat? Or is it because we share the same name? Or is it that one picture with a worried look?

Saturday, April 24, 2010

The Family Curator Blog is hosting an Almanac post suggestions with a weekly theme. This weeks theme is gardening. Now I don't really remember my Dad gardening but I do remember we always had a lovely flower garden each summer when we lived in New York. Here he is in July of 1949 working in the front yard. The dogwood tree bloomed each year and we had Lilies of the Valley. If he did work in the garden it had to be on his days off from the firehouse. We had a lot of yard in our home in Whitestone New York, there was a slopping front yard and a two level back yard. The lower level backyard was the well kept grass. The upper level back yard had the swing set and sand box for us kids.

When we moved to Florida he had planted lovely tropical plants around the house.

There are some other pictures of me in the front yard with him on this day but in this picture I'm sitting on the steps up to the upper level back yard. Sitting under the dogwood tree, which would have lovely blooms in spring. In front of the dogwood tree was a 3 foot wide garden area that ran the length of the lower level back yard. This is were all the lovely flowers would be each spring and summer.

These pictures where from a photo album he had made and yes that was my nick name you see across the top of my picture. And if I was in a bad mood I was called "sour puss". And I have to admit it does fit. Luckily I'm not in a bad mood often.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

I thought of this post just as I got into bed last night. Knowing me if I had gotten up and completed the post at that time it would be another hour before I went to bed and it was already late. So here I am early this morning.

This handsome couple are my Maternal Grandparents, William Thomas Chaplin and Minnie Elizabeth Spahn Chaplin. The picture was taken in 1919 or 1920. The occasion was a visit from one Grandpa's co-worker who took the picture.

They are on the roof of their apartment building in Borough Park, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. The building in the background is the Convent of the Precious Blood. It ran for a whole block across the street from their home. That is not a pipe in Grandpa's month it is a pen mark.

I like the pose, so different then what we would do today and seems romantic to me.

An interesting tidbit is my grandfather purchased a Catholic prayer book from the convent when my Mother married my Father. She became Catholic to married my Dad.

This information was given to me by my Aunt Bea the oldest of the Chaplin children, my Mother was the youngest.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

While organizing by Main Genealogy Binder yesterday I found these interesting sheets. I had mailed these off to a great uncle and he sent them back to me filled out!! This pedigree sheets and his family group sheet. This was probably in the late 70's early 80. I had forgotten I had them. There is also a six page stationary size letter. It has been fun re-reading it.

In his letter Ed states that as a kid he aways liked going to my Grandmother's Mary house because she was so jovial. She was also a hard work and worked in factories so my dad could go to college. You might remember in March I wrote a post about Grandmother's smile and twinkle in her eye. Here is another post where I wonder about her smile it kind of makes you wonder what she is thinking. Of course that hat is best.

This is a family group sheet with all my great uncle's kids listed. Some of them are my age, that is why I covered there birthdays and place of births up. So I'm going to try to find them. Ed's grand father is my Great Grandfather Joseph Jirak.

My one regret is that I didn't take advantage of this relative years ago. I just became too busy with my life. Now to play catch up. But better late than never.

I started using my checklist yesterday morning and look what was the first thing I added to the top by the name. Yup the Birth and Death Date. It like I can't think without knowing these dates. So I put them where I can see them.

So here is the new and improved version just for you. If this doesn't print off well for you after double clicking on it. Please feel free to email me and I'll send you an electronic copy. My email is on my profile. Or it is m e bowden at cox dot net, remove spaces and the word dot.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

I like things organized and some things I like organized more than others. I don't mind creative explosion in my sewing room that is being creative and finding just the right fabric to go in a quilt block. But if there is one thing that can send me over the edge is paper stuff. Especially when it starts to explode.

Many years ago I don't even remember where the idea came from, but I wanted to organize my Genealogy Binder. I took some old file folders cut them open and on the front side printed some information on the person who was in that folder. The front cover gave me some information at a quick glance such as: who, children, parents and documents I had on that person. The tab side was behind all the information on that person. The tab labels were color coded, blue for Hartmanns, yellow for Chaplins, red for other families. This dividers have severed me well since my binder have mostly been sitting on the bookshelves doing nothing. Now that I have been in my binder a lot more and looking at stuff they have not served me so well. All the papers in the sleeve protects cover up the tabs, so I had to really look around the pages to see whose tab I was in. Can you see that yellow tab peeking out at the top edge? Do you see what I mean?

While listening to the Genealogy Gems podcast someone suggested these dividers that are big enough for sheet protectors. I have all my copies of documents in sheet protectors. So I purchased some new dividers and re-typed my information sheets and inserted them into that divider which is also a sleeve protector, printed a nice label for the tab.

I like the clean new look. This is not my Research Binder that I take to the family History Library this is my stay at home binder. This is the too important to leave the house binder.

Now back to organizing. I also have computer files to reorganize after a hard drive crash, lucky for me everything was backed up on an external hard drive.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Nancy over at My Ancestors & Me posted what looked like a very helpful checklist. She said she would like to make a few additions to the form. I printed it off from her blog and thought this would come in handy. So on Thursday at work while being on a boring conference call I made the form again. Adding a couple of things updating it a little. I added 1940 census since it will be out in 2 years. If I added it now I won't have to add it again in 2 years.

Also I added lines to list addresses that our ancestors lived at. I also added lines to put down how old an ancestor is at the time of the census. I always seem to be looking for paper and a calculator, this why I will have it all in one place and I don't have to keep double checking. I also left space to place a return address label just in case it fell out of your research binder some kind soul could send it back to you.

I email the form to Nancy and she like my additions and asked me to blog about it. So here it is. If you double click on it you should have it at full size and should be able to print it off. If you are unable to print it email me and I'll send it to you. My email is on my profile.

Friday, April 9, 2010

While checking out hints on Ancestry.com I found two fun documents. Well I don't know if fun is the right word but when you are into Genealogy it is fun. I found my grandpa George's WW I and WW II draft registration cards. To bad this is so hard to read, but I was able to transcribe some of it. Maybe someday I'll fine a better copy.

This what I was able transcribe. Some of it like the address looked vaguely familiar so I checked my Dad's birth certificate and it is the same address. The birth dates may not match but I'm sure if the card says Apr or Sept. His work address also looks to be the same at the one on his WW II draft registration card. It does also have his physical description on the right side. Yes the stout gene is a very Hartmann trait!

Now this document really made me excited. Notice the address, it is the same address I lived in since I was born and until I moved to Florida in 1959. This is the house my Dad told us he and his Dad built. I didn't find my Dad's card for WW II, he did not serve in the armed forces because he was a New York City fireman, so he was exempt, or so the story goes.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

The Family Curator is hosting a almanac inspired blog post based on weekly themes for April.

This week's theme is Baseball. Our family history around baseball is very slim. We were NY Yankee fans, but I don't remember Dad taking me to a ball game or my brothers. The only baseball fun we did celebrate were eating hot dogs. We liked them grilled, steamed with brown mustard and relish or kraut. I still enjoy a good hot dog. Sometimes Richard & I go this fun place in Tempe, AZ called Ted's. They also have excellent onion rings.

I have been to two or three baseball games, one when I first moved here to AZ, during spring training. I didn't find it very interesting. In 2005 I went to another game with one of my co-workers Linda. She was a big baseball nut, she even kept score, I wanted to visit, eat and watch some action, not much action in baseball game.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

This a group pictures in Nantucket Island, Mass, in the side yard of Grandparents Corkish home at 3 Cottage Ct. Left to Right: Mildred Swann Corkish, Alfred Corish, Annette Corkish Hartmann, George J. Hartmann Jr. Front Row: Donald, George and 10 year old Me.

This has been fun and hard. So many of my favorite blogs have already received this award. I guess a lot of people like the same ones I do, we all have such good taste. I wanted to share the wealth so I went through all my favorites and my followers, see I check your blogs also. I found my 10 nominees. It was fun to revisit some of these sites. I have to be honest I don't have the time to follow everyone everyday even with google reader.

PS I just left all my tags you are it comments and more than half of my nominees had been already nominated. I didn't find that out until I saw the comments left just before mine. We all have such good taste in blogs! There are some really excellent blogs out there. All our Ancestor should be proud!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Imagine my Surprise when I was in a boring meeting at work today and I check my home email on my blackberry and found a comment was posted on my blog. So I sneak on to my blog and I'm surprised again there is a second post. First Leah and then Cheryl both nominated me for the Ancestor Approved Award. As recipient of this Ancestor Approved Award I must list ten things learned about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled, or enlightened me. The recipient then passes the award to ten other bloggers that are doing their Ancestors proud!

Here are my top ten things I have learned:These are not in any particular order.

#1) Today before work I found some more information out about my Mom's (my second mother)parents. They are also the only grandparents I know. The surprise I learned is they had outlived my Mom, her Dad by 5 years to the ripe old age of 94, her mom by 9 years and made it all the way to 95. I don't remember hearing from my Dad when they had died. I know they didn't make it to the funeral, they lived in Nantucket Mass. and Mom died and was buried in Fort Lauderdale FL. In 1965 you didn't travel like we do today. They must have felt so helpless and so far away.

#2)Surprised that my great grandpa Joseph died of pneumonia secondary to exhaustion at the age of 69 in 1915. That's only 7 years older than I am now, so it hit close to home. Now a days he probably be treated and live longer.

#3)Humbled by my immigrant ancestors who traveled long voyages in cramped quarters, lived in poor conditions, such as tenements, did any kind of jobs to earn a living, wanted to be Americans, learned the language, told their kids they could have a better life. Pass on a good work ethic, believed there was no free lunch and if you wanted something you had to work for it, get an education, make something of yourself. This is evident by my father who was a second generation American had earned a college degree. The Tenement Museum looks very interesting.

#4) Humbled by my Grandmother Minnie Elizabeth who was a widow at the young age of 40, who had three children at home the youngest age 9 and worked to provide for her family.

#5) Humbled by my Great Grandfather Joseph who was a widower and at the age of 54 on the 1900 census had five kids at home, the youngest was 6 and the oldest was 17. That is hard on a man, I know because I saw how hard it was on my Dad when his wife died and he had 4 young kids at home from 16 to 6.

#6) Learned that my work ethic, stubbornest, worry wart behaviors and diligent natural come from a long line of people with the same characteristics.

#7) Wished I had know these people and the stories that went with them. Which means I need to share my stories with the next generation.

#8) Wished I had gotten into Genealogy when I was younger and still had some family around but I must admit I like doing so much research on the computer.

#9) I'm enlightened by the kind, supportive, encouraging genealogist I have meet at Family History Expo in Mesa and on line.

#10) Surprised at how addicting Genealogy and social networking are.

I am also suppose to pass this award on to 10 other bloggers. I'm going to have to do a little research on that to try and find a blog that hasn't received it yet. Just to share the wealth a little. So watch for a second post.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

I had to chuckle to my self when I went into New Family Search this morning and saw the name of this tab. I have not been to this site in years. I made up the name for my quilting blog, based on my first and middle name initials and added quilter. I have used that for years on my webshots album. So when I decided to start my Genealogy blog I started with me and added ancestors.

OK so maybe it is only something I can appreciate. I do like the look of mine better in all small letters.

What I did find is I have lots of updating to do. My poor pedigree chart on the site shows how little I knew about doing Genealogy when I submitted my four generation sheets ages ago. I guess the good thing is I have learned to be more accurate and precise. I guess I'll be updating stuff on the site.

#52Ancestors

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About Me

Hi,
It's ME, or Mary Elizabeth. I'm a wife to Richard and a mother to Kierra, Klint and Kinsen. I'm a daughter, a grand daughter many times over. I'm a sister, an aunt and I have many more roles. I love quilting, all forms and all the processes. I am a quilt teacher and designer. I am interested in Genealogy and have a lot to learn. I am having a lot of fun learning more about my ancestors and meeting new cousins.